The response in the West to Putin’s aggression has in part reflected its dependence on Russia for energy. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said following a discussion with EU leaders on possible sanctions any measures “should be concentrated on narrow sectors without including energy”. In Britain, too, politicians seem shy about using the country’s own resources, having closed its last deep coal mine in 2015 and last month concreting over its only remaining shale wells. This all forms part of the Government’s drive to reaching net zero – a target it discussed at recent COP26 climate talks in Glasgow and which it committed to reaching by 2050 in its Brexit agreements with the EU. But Ben Harris-Quinney, Chairman of the Bow Group think tank, said it is time to drop this “ludicrous” agenda and focus on being more self sufficient.
He told Express.co.uk it was right to oppose the targets before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but that this event made stronger the case for energy independence.
Mr Harris-Quinney said: “The Ukraine crisis should be a wake up call to the ludicrous nature of the COP26 agreement.
“Russia, China and most other countries won’t honour these targets.
“We would be utterly mad to bankrupt the public, the economy and the exchequer to do so.”
As part of its drive to hit net zero in under three decades, the Government has pushed to rollout of smart meters.
More than 25million had been installed in homes and small businesses across the country by September last year – a “vital upgrade”, according to Whitehall, which underpins the “cost-effective delivery of the Government’s net-zero commitment”.
More recent reports suggest the devices will be used for surge pricing – sending regular usage updates to energy companies (an idea many of them support) to determine higher rates for electricity at busier times of the day.
This would likely see costs rise in both the mornings and evenings.
READ MORE: Habib blasts Boris over smart meters and surge pricing
As concerns over a rising cost in living crisis also loom, the Bow Group Chairman also called on green levies on energy bills – helping to drive up total energy costs for consumers – should be scrapped.
He said: “Ministers must also remove the green levy and urgently focus on providing cheap energy within the UK to the public.”
Mr Harris-Quinney added: “Fundamentally the energy and inflation crisis is driven by the madcap net zero agenda.”
Reform party leader Richard Tice agreed Putin’s aggression brought the need for Britain to shake up its energy plans to the fore.
He said in a post on Twitter: “Standing Up to Putin Means Ditching net zero. Europe’s net zero strategy made it dependent on Putins gas.”
While some ministers have expressed similar concerns, especially relating to energy costs amid the cost of living crisis, the Prime Minister appears determined to stick to his climate pledges.
